I’m a sucker for plushies from video games. There is a huge collection of official Final Fantasy plushies in my living room, as well as a few from Okamiden, Angry Birds and of course a couple of Rikis from Xenoblade Chronicles. As I begin to make my own, I find myself straying toward the more realistic side of plushies (think proper teddy bear making) rather than anything too cutsie. So in addition to my plans to make a rather large Valefor, and a number of original creations, here are a selection of subjects I think would make good subjects for plushes/soft toys that might not be the first choice to cuddle up with.

If there’s something you really want to see made first, something you think on this list is terrible or something you want to suggest yourself then please let me know!

Ancient Wyvern – Dark Souls 3

I can see this working as a soft toy/soft sculpture. In the same way Valefor will be crafted with a clay mask and a soft body, the hard stone head and neck of the Ancient Wyvern can be made in polymer clay as would any claws. I can’t see his feet and any of the screen caps I took even though in true Dark Souls style a portion of all boss battles is spent rolling around panicking at the bosses’ feet (spoilers: hit him on the head)

The rest of the body could be grey minky and perhaps dyed canvas for the wings. A gradient on the wings would bring much needed colour. I’d love to see it sprawled out at the foot of a bed.

Trico – The Last Guardian

Yes, it’s not released yet, and I’m beginning to lose hope, but being a huge fan of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus I will certainly be playing The Last Guardian if/when it comes out. Trico (aka The Man Eating Eagle), the enormous and loveable dog/eagle/deer beast is a wonderful creation. With a dog’s head/body, eagle feet, stunted horns, inappropriately proportioned wings of some sort and a long sweeping tail I’m sure many fell in love with him at first sight. I certainly did. If an official plush isn’t made I’d love to make this beast to keep me company.

Most of the fabric used would be high-quality furs and minky fabrics for the legs and inner ears. Details like horns and talons always look good in polymer clay and a final touch of wire whiskers would help with the expression. Eyes just seem to be black – so standard plastic or glass black eyes would do fine.

The real risk here is size. He/She would need to be really big with floppy arms (or pose-able limbs, if I ever learn how to make jointed toys). However, the bigger you make it the more expensive it becomes. A meter of nice fur ranges from £18 to £35 for a square meter – you’d probably want sever types of fur too. Perhaps if I find myself with an excess of money and time (unlikely) this one will be made.

Chryssalid – X COM 2

I’ve not played X COM but my partner is a big fan. Looking at the official merchandise selection – it seems to be the usual mix of T-shirts and etched glasses. Surely the format of the game lends itself to making figurings of the tropes and aliens, either as high quality display figurines or cheaper and smaller versions suitable for tabletop games. By the look of it, they’re just not interested. Since modelling isn’t really my speciality, it’ll have to be another plush. The Chryssalid seems a good choice – nice and colourful and a favourite among fans. Fabrics would be standard minky only – no need for details in clay. Not sure whether to make him with realistic proportions or as some sort of spider-ball (see What If Animals Were Round?) :3

Zemzellet – Final Fantasy IX

Of course there’s an owl on this list. Zemzellet appears in the Owl forest leading to the Black Mage Villiage. Given that Final Fantasy IX has just been ported to PC on Steam there should be renewed interest in creatures from the game, even though little Zemzellet doesn’t play that big a part.

One of these would either by made from standard plush fabric (it’s mostly just a ball with details) or could be made with feather-style faux-fur with real feather details. One if more costly than the other, but would produce a much more interesting result.

Vicar Amelia – Bloodborne

Another entry from the Dark Souls series (sort of). Vicar Amelia would make a very interesting pose-able model, made from lace, short faux fur, gauze and clay details. Unlike the Ancient Wyvern this would not be cuddly at all- more of a doll or ornament. The reason for choosing Vicar Amelia from all the bosses of Bloodborne is simply that she’s my favourite! (Cleric Beast is a close second – but no way I’d be able to sculpt that).

Vicar Amelia’s locket is an important item for this boss and would need to be included in the figure’s paw.

Feet, claws, antlers and teeth would need to be sculpted from clay. The fur in the game is very messy – part of the art style – so care would need to be take to make sure she doesn’t end up looking like a porcupine where fur flows out over gauze bandages. Perhaps a bit ambitious for the moment but one day would be a lovely project.